We have seen the impact that Randians have had on American politics as they have merged their religion into policy and attempted to turn the clock back to the 1840s. It has been a pretty effective way to suggest the reversion of economic opportunities and even civil rights in the name of "objectivism". We've seen Randians in politics all over the country (including some that have risen to become cult leaders themselves) and heard Randian philosophy on the airwaves all over the place as well.

Unsurprisingly we have Randians rising in the business world as well. One example lies in the current CEO of Sears who was an investment broker that eventually took control of Sears Holdings by way of an external power grab. He was touted as a wunderkind of sorts when he was handling investment accounts before, so certainly he's well qualified to dictate the leadership of a large retailer, right?

Well, not really.

An outspoken advocate of free-market economics and fan of the novelist Ayn Rand, he created the model because he expected the invisible hand of the market to drive better results. If the companyâ(TM)s leaders were told to act selfishly, he argued, they would run their divisions in a rational manner, boosting overall performance.

So how is that working out?

Sears Holdingsâ(TM) sales have dropped from $49.1 billion to $39.9 billion, and its stock has sunk 64 percent. Its cash recently fell to a 10-year low. Although it has plenty of assets to unload before bankruptcy looms, the odds of a turnaround grow longer every quarter

But clearly, it's not for lack of trying, right? As CEO he must be there all the time, right? Wrong. He is known to visit Sears HQ no more than twice a year, due to his "dislike of flying". He spends most of his time at his $40M Florida mansion. Is the leader partying while the empire burns? Just consider what you would do if you had such digs.

Being as each division now manages itself with complete disregard (or even disdain) for other units that effectively operate in the same store, one cannot help but wonder if this is part of why Sears Craftsman tools are increasingly being made in China.

Which invites the question: Why is our notion of capitalism so decayed that Sears employees don't just form their own department store?
The collectivist notion that we're all sheep, and that society or someone just kind "owes" us a job (did not the Progressive Prophet FDR so speak [wikipedia.org]?) is the source of much, much woe.

Which invites the question: Why is our notion of capitalism so decayed that Sears employees don't just form their own department store?

If you take 30 people who were previously working minimum wage jobs and checked their credit, you likely wouldn't find adequate credit between them to start their own store, regardless of whether you are suggesting a franchise of an existing outfit or a brand new store. It appears you may be trying to invoke something along the lines of the broken "pull yourself up by your own bootstraps" argument, but you are preaching it to a case where the people have no boots. Furthermore, not everyone there aspires t

As with any personality (Reagan, Palin, Cruz, Bush) I'm ambivalent on Paul. His strong suit was economics. His foreign policy. ..
Well, I suppose as a long-term goal, minimizing U.S. over-reach is worthwhile. The path to get there is fraught with peril. As far as I can tell, Obama's foreign policy is a blend of Paul's non-interventionism and sheer drano-snorting incompetence (Egypt, Libya, Syria, &c).

As with any personality (Reagan, Palin, Cruz, Bush) I'm ambivalent on Paul.

Your opinion of him doesn't matter, and neither does mine. The Lord Dr. St. Dr. Rev. Dr. Fr. Dr. Ron Dr. Paul Dr. Dr. Dr. is the most powerful cult leader this country has seen in at least the past 100 years. He has an army of people who are literally willing to die for him. His policies don't matter, only the devotion of his followers. It is truly astonishing how many people support him in spite of the fact that his policies would make their lives far worse (for example I've seen a number of students

is the most powerful cult leader this country has seen in at least the past 100 years.

Which probably explains his brace of Presidential election victories.

Just because he is a powerful cult leader doesn't mean he has enough followers to win the presidency. Did David Koresh ever win the white house? Paul has a cult far larger than his, but he needs more than just a large cult to move in to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.

What's the difference between a cult and a religion? A cult is an unpopular religion. A religion is a popular cult. It's only in the numbers.

I had never previously heard of asking questions of the other person as being indicative of "arguing in bad faith". I guess I will have to change to a non-question-based tactic. Being as you are becoming increasingly pudge-like in your tactics as of late, I guess this shouldn't surprise me. I could try to mirror his method by accusing you of lying at every opportunity but I still can't make heads or tails of what that word actually means to him.

So, if you want to get all pedantic, "we" never owe anyone anything. "We" are never more than a collection of individuals. EVER. "We" has no Borg-like shared state in which neuronic information transfers occur. The big fibber is the one who tries to say "we owe", as though there was ever a capacity to hold or discharge obligations akin to debt against, say, the United States Treasury.

I would say binary is better than unilateral. And all claims to "over-simplification" are bogus distractions, more patronizing bullshit cop-outs. Simplicity is where it's at. Adding needless complexity is nothing but an attempt to obfuscate the very simple nature of all motivation. And the insane claim to be above it all when one is simply dominant is the epitome of arrogance, and withholding food from a hungry man and throwing it awa

If you're putting me in the position of defending idiocy such as ethanol subsidies, think again. Distorting markets is actually more evil when Republicans do it, as they like to run around claiming to be traditional capitalists. The rest of your reply was an example of "adding needless complexity," as far as I could tell.